The Disciplinary Hall of the Green Mountain Sect was not a place of justice but of judgment. It was a stark, imposing structure carved into the base of a barren, grey mountain, a place devoid of the vibrant spiritual energy that permeated the rest of the sect. The air here was cold, heavy, and oppressive, designed to weigh down the spirit and crush the will of any who entered.
Li Yu walked through its massive, iron-bound doors, flanked by two silent, black-robed enforcers. He was led down a long, dark corridor, the only light coming from cold, phosphorescent stones set into the walls, casting long, dancing shadows that looked like grasping claws. The silence was absolute, broken only by the echo of their footsteps.
He was brought into a vast, circular chamber. The walls, floor, and ceiling were made of a single, seamless piece of polished black stone that seemed to drink the very light and warmth from the room. In the center of the chamber was a single, raised platform. Seated on three high-backed thrones opposite the platform were the interrogators: three ancient elders of the Disciplinary Hall.
They were men whose faces were maps of cold indifference, their auras as deep and still as a frozen lake. They were aligned with neither Elder Ning nor Elder Jin; their only loyalty was to the iron rules and the absolute security of the sect.
Li Yu was guided onto the platform and left alone, a small, solitary figure in a vast, empty chamber, facing the immense pressure of three powerful, ancient cultivators.
"Li Yu," the central elder, a man with a long, white beard and eyes like chips of obsidian, spoke. His voice was not loud, but it resonated in the stone chamber, each word a hammer blow against the soul. "You stand before us to account for the events that transpired in the Whispering Fen. Five of your fellow disciples are dead. You and the others are alive. You will tell us everything that happened, from the moment you entered the Serpent's Heart basin. Do not omit a single detail. Do not attempt to deceive us. We will know."
As he spoke, an immense, crushing spiritual pressure descended upon Li Yu. It was not the wild, aggressive pressure of a combatant, but a cold, methodical and soul-crushing weight designed to shatter a person's mental defenses and leave their mind bare.
Li Yu's heart remained a placid lake. His «Myriad Rivers Returning to the Sea Art» circulated lazily, its deep, abyssal nature effortlessly absorbing the pressure. His «Kraken's Heart» physique fortified his organs, making him immune to the internal strain. To the elders, it looked as if the boy was simply enduring, his face pale, his body trembling slightly—a performance of a terrified but resolute disciple.
He began his story, his voice clear but laced with a convincing, lingering fear. He recounted the events exactly as Su Ling had done earlier, sticking to the established truth. He described the wounded Mire-Wyrm, Jian Long's greedy and reckless decision to attack, and the sudden, terrifying appearance of the colossal crab beast.
"You claim this beast simply appeared?" the elder on the left, a man with a scarred, hawkish face, interjected. "A creature of such magnitude does not simply 'appear.' Did you not sense it?"
"Elder, I am only in the Body Tempering Realm," Li Yu replied humbly. "My spiritual sense is weak. The fog in the mire was disorienting. We were all focused on the Rank 4 Mire-Wyrm. None of us, not even Senior Brother Jian Long, sensed the other beast until it was too late."
It was a logical explanation.
The elder on the right, a thin, skeletal man, spoke for the first time, his voice a dry rasp. "You witnessed this creature erase five disciples, including a Fourth Stage Qi Condensation expert, in an instant. And yet, you did not flee in terror. You charged towards it. Explain this madness."
"It was not a conscious decision, Elder," Li Yu said, his voice cracking with feigned emotion. "In that moment, I saw my fellow disciples about to be annihilated. My only thought was that I had to do something. I remembered the Void-Shift Talisman my master had given me. I thought… I thought if I could just draw its attention for a single moment, I could activate the talisman and escape. In doing so perhaps give the others a chance to flee. It was a desperate, foolish act."
His story painted him not as a hero, but as a terrified boy who had gambled his life in a moment of selfless panic. It was a far more believable narrative than one of heroic courage.
"And you were successful," the central elder stated, his obsidian eyes seeming to see through Li Yu. "You, a Body Tempering disciple, successfully distracted a beast that had just annihilated a team of core disciples, and then escaped with your life and the mission's objective. The sequence of events is… fortunate, to an unbelievable degree."
"I was terrified, Elder," Li Yu whispered. "I do not know how I survived. The talisman activated and the world dissolved into a silver light. When I awoke, I was away, alone in the swamp. I can only attribute my survival to my master's powerful treasure and the blessings of the heavens."
The three elders were silent for a long moment, their gazes heavy. His story was consistent. It was outrageous, but it was consistent.
"Bring in the other witness," the central elder commanded.
A moment later, Su Ling was escorted into the chamber. She stood on the platform next to Li Yu, her expression as cold and unreadable as ever. She and the other disciples were outside but they could hear and see in, waiting their turn.
"Su Ling," the elder began. "You were the highest-ranking survivor. You witnessed the events. Does Li Yu's testimony align with your own?"
Su Ling looked at Li Yu, her gaze lingering for a fraction of a second, before turning to the elders. "It does," she said, her voice clear and devoid of emotion. "The events occurred exactly as Junior Brother Li has described them. The beast was of a power beyond our comprehension. Senior Brother Jian Long's decision to attack the wounded wyrm was a fatal miscalculation. Li Yu's actions, while reckless, created the opening that allowed myself and the other survivors to escape. Without his diversion, we would all be dead."
Her words were a hammer blow to Elder Jin's accusations. She was the First Elder's disciple, a genius of impeccable reputation. Her testimony was beyond reproach.
"And you believe his survival was due to his master's talisman?" the hawk-faced elder pressed.
"I saw him hold up the talisman," Su Ling stated calmly. "I saw him charge the beast. I saw the flash of silver light. What happened after that, I cannot say, as we were already in full retreat. But his story is consistent with what I witnessed."
She was not lying. She was simply recounting the facts as she had seen them, leaving the elders to draw their own conclusions.
They brought in the remaining disciples and all their stories were the same. Even the ones that were more aligned towards Elder Jin gave the same story. This wasn't the place to try and lie, one misstep here and no one could save them from the elders's judgement.
The elders conferred in a low, inaudible whisper for several minutes. Li Yu stood silently, his heart a calm, steady beat while his gaze fixed on the floor. He had laid the pieces of his story and they were for the most part all true. Now, he could only wait for the verdict.
Finally, the central elder looked at him. "Li Yu. Your testimony, corroborated by that of Senior Sister Su Ling and the others has been accepted. We find no evidence of malice or treachery. The deaths of Jian Long and the others were a tragic consequence of a dangerous mission and a fatal misjudgment by their team leader."
A wave of relief, carefully suppressed, washed over Li Yu.
"You are cleared of all suspicion," the elder continued. "And you will receive the rewards promised to you by the Sect Master. However, the existence of this… 'Stygian Void-Crusher,' as you have named it from the ancient texts, is a matter of grave concern. A full expedition, led by several sect elders, will be dispatched to the Whispering Fen to investigate this threat. You will provide them with a detailed map of the location."
"Of course, Elder," Li Yu said, bowing deeply. He knew the expedition would find nothing. Khaos was safely hidden in his spirit, and the basin would be just an empty, silent lake. Everything was left as it was before he left so the story would hold true. The mystery of the monster would remain, a legend to frighten future generations of disciples.
"You are dismissed," the elder said.
Li Yu and Su Ling were escorted out of the oppressive hall and back into the bright sunlight. They walked in silence for a moment before Su Ling stopped.
"You have powerful enemies, Li Yu," she said, her voice low. "Elder Jin will not accept this verdict. He will find other ways."
"I am aware, Senior Sister," he replied.
"You are also a very, very lucky man," she added, her eyes looking at him. Thanks to this boy she was saved, she would have to think of some ways to repay him when the time was right.
"The heavens have been kind," he said with a humble smile.
She did not smile back. "The heavens do not choose favorites so often. Sooner or later, every fish must rely on its own strength to swim against the current." She gave him a final, lingering look, then turned and walked away, leaving him alone with his secrets.
Li Yu couldn't tell if she was an enemy, a friend or just someone that he would pass by in life. It doesn't really matter at the moment, time will reveal all secrets.
He had survived. He had weathered the storm. He had turned a death trap into a monumental opportunity and had emerged not only unscathed but stronger, wealthier, and with a trump card that no one in the world could have ever predicted.
He made his way to the Contribution Hall to claim his rewards, the weight of the ten thousand points and the promise of an Earth-grade martial art, a heavy, comforting presence.